Hole Hearted
by Koneko Cain
Summary: Bakura wants to know what dating is like, and Ryou thinks he's hormonal. SetoBakura, MarikRyou, MalikOtogi.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

Warnings: Crap angst/romance fic because it's my 21st in a few days and I'm bloody miserable. I hate birthdays.

Note: There's a huge pile of washing-up waiting for me in the kitchen, so don't expect too much from this one! I wanna write something about Marik and Ryou, I need a plot for it. Well, at least I got _something_ written. Better than nothing, right?

Hole Hearted – part 1

"What's it like, all that pink hearts and love bullshit you do with Marik?" Bakura asked out of the blue, sitting next to Ryou on the couch as the hikari attempted to understand his latest assignment. Some Bon Jovi song was playing from the radio in the kitchen and the music was making Bakura think. He'd never had someone like that, but it seemed to be what everyone he knew was striving for. Some fairytale relationship, love, whatever. Was it really that great? He'd never had time for anything like that, he _had_ died young after all. Sex was about all he'd had back then, but now that he was in this time permanently he couldn't help but wonder about the whole love thing. If even yami no Marik could do it, it couldn't be _that_ hard.

"Great. Why are we having this conversation? Are you hormonal?" Ryou grinned, chewing on the end of his pencil.

"Forget it." Bakura growled, turning away and looking back at the television, which was playing the news on mute. There was what talking got him, so he attempted to go back to his usual mostly silent self. Ryou wouldn't have that, though.

"Awh, don't be like that. I'm sorry, it's just a strange thing to hear coming from you. I never thought you'd care about something like that."

"I don't." Bakura frowned, still staring at the silent television and wishing he'd never bought the subject up. He just couldn't get it out of his head – Marik and Ryou were always there holding hands and being a happy, loving couple. Then there was Malik and Otogi, who were the same, if slightly more crazy. He felt as though he should have had some big, epic romance by now but it was difficult to do when everyone thought you were evil incarnate and you had no idea what you were doing.

"Yes you do, or you wouldn't have mentioned it. Are you lonely? You _have_ been on your own for a long time. Maybe you should find someone." Ryou suggested, smiling. "It's great, I can say anything to Marik and he doesn't think I'm nuts! He sticks up for me all the time too, it's sweet. And he growls at anyone who looks at me funny."

"I don't need anyone to stick up for me. I'm perfectly capable of gutting anyone I don't like by myself." Bakura pointed out, allowing himself to be dragged back into the conversation because no matter how stubborn he acted, he really _did_ want to know what it was like.

"Well, it'd be different for you. The point is, you have someone to do little things for you that make you feel all happy and fuzzy." Ryou explained, giving up on his assignment.

"Fuzzy." Bakura repeated flatly, not entirely sure he wanted to be feeling like that. He didn't think anything anyone could do would ever make him feel fuzzy.

"Oh, stop being difficult, you know what I mean. So why don't you start dating?" The hikari asked. Bakura frowned again, looking annoyed.

"It's not that simple." He muttered.

"Everyone thinks you're evil, right? Well, whose fault is that?" Ryou laughed lightly. "Anyway, once you've found someone you like you can easily show them you're not that bad. Who do you like?"

Bakura raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his seat.

"What?"

"Out of everyone you know, who would you ever consider dating? In your case I suppose it's more like who could you get through a night without killing." Ryou said thoughtfully, knowing his yami better than anyone else.

"I don't know." Bakura replied truthfully, never having thought about it before. Ryou shrugged.

"Ok, well I'll say a name and you tell me what you think of them. I'm sure we'll find someone eventually."

"Hn." Bakura wasn't sure he liked the idea because it involved being far too open, but he let it go.

"Right, what about… Jounouchi? He seems nice enough." Ryou suggested.

"He's an idiot. I'd kill him." Bakura replied honestly, knowing that he didn't exactly have endless patience and anyone who went out with Jou would need it.

"Fair enough, what about Honda? He's a lot smarter than he lets on, you know." Ryou claimed, twirling his pencil in his fingers.

"No." Bakura scowled. "I hate his hair."

Ryou laughed at his yami and shook his head.

"I see your point," he giggled, "what about Anzu?"

"She's too…friendly. And she cares too much about the pharaoh." Bakura muttered, knowing that if he ever did manage to make it as far as actually dating someone, talking about how great Yami was all night would _not_ be on the agenda.

"Mai?"

"Whore."

"Yami! That's not nice!" Ryou chastised.

"True, though." Bakura shrugged, not caring.

"Who else is there? Malik, Otogi and Marik are taken, how about Yugi?" Ryou asked.

"Never. And don't even mention the pharaoh." Bakura hissed darkly.

"I know, I know." Ryou sighed, well aware of just how much Bakura hated Yami. "So I suppose that just leaves Pegasus, Ishizu, Shizuka and Kaiba."

"Pegasus I'd kill, Ishizu… maybe. Shizuka is too innocent." Bakura's eyes darkened a little. "Kaiba… I don't know. The only time I ever spoke to him was when I duelled him before the memory world. He sided with the pharaoh," The thief growled bitterly, having thought at the time that at least one person might side with him. The whole game had gone wrong, though. Everything had twisted away from what had really happened, and in the end he'd known long before it happened that he was going to lose. What he'd really wanted was to show everyone what a bastard the pharaoh had been, but since Yami didn't remember ever being anything but the king of games – and the world had been based on Yami's memories – nothing had gone according to plan.

"So Ishizu and Kaiba are the only two people you could maybe get through a date without killing?" Ryou summarised, already scheming.

"…Possibly."

"So who would you prefer?" Ryou asked, waiting while Bakura thought about it silently. After a few minutes of brooding he finally looked away and muttered a name.

"Kaiba."

In the end it came down to whether he'd rather date a man or a woman, and he had to admit that – much as it annoyed him – he'd prefer a man. Back in the day he hadn't cared. Now, though, the thought of Ishizu as anything more than an acquaintance did nothing for him. Seto Kaiba, though… He wasn't sure about that.

TBC

There will be a plot in here, at some point. Yay for trashy romance/angst fics! Yeah, I'm too tired to write anything decent, just go with it.


	2. Chapter 2

Notes –I'm too lazy to proofread this, considering that it's half past six in the morning and I haven't been to bed yet. I have to get up in two and a half hours. O.o

Anyway, enjoy the trashy angst/romance!

Hole Hearted 2

"Are you ready to go?" Ryou fussed over his yami, ignoring Marik's snickering from over his shoulder.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Bakura said for the hundredth time, letting Ryou mess with his eyeliner.

"At least you might get laid," Marik offered, probably trying to be reassuring.

"If he even turns up." The thief muttered, turning away towards the door and grabbing his jacket when Ryou finally finished mothering him.

"He will. I promise." Ryou smiled sweetly, wandering over to where Marik was leaning against the wall. "Now go and have fun."

Bakura snagged his keys from the table beside the door and sighed in a put-upon way, wishing he'd never even bought the subject up.

"Fun." He repeated flatly, ignoring Marik's cackling as he left the house.

XxXxX

"Ryou."

Seto Kaiba greeted Bakura politely, if a little coldly, as they met outside the Italian restaurant they'd picked. At the greeting Bakura paused, then realised with a sinking feeling that Seto thought he was meeting his hikari. He supposed it made sense – the elder Kaiba brother would never have agreed to turn up if he knew who he was really meeting.

He was here now, though, and it was simply a question of whether or not he'd leave once he found out the truth.

"Kaiba." Bakura inclined his head slightly, the thought of just pretending to be Ryou crossing his mind. He'd done it before, but right now it was only going to complicate things and probably end up causing problems for his hikari.

"I didn't take you for the gothic type," Seto commented, referring to Bakura's black clothing – jeans and a tight-fitting black shirt, rocker boots with buckles halfway to his knees and plenty of silver accessories. All the yamis had a penchant for jewellery – with Yami it was buckles and bracelets, Marik had earrings and gold cuffs, and Bakura liked chains. Heavy silver links rested seductively on his exposed collarbone, a matching bracelet on each thin wrist. He had a pentagram ring on his right index finger because the occult had always fascinated him, and a stud that matched it in one ear. Three silver rings through the top of the same ear finished the outfit, which it seemed Seto liked from the look he was getting.

Deciding that was a good enough start, Bakura glanced towards the entrance of the restaurant and made up his mind. He had to come clean before they went inside, that way if Seto wanted out they could end this now.

"I have a confession. You may not like it." Bakura admitted, wondering how the CEO was going to take the news. He was just relieved that Seto didn't have access to shadow powers; at least his pride was the only thing about to get wounded.

"And that would be…?" Seto raised an eyebrow, folding his arms and looking stern. Bakura couldn't remember Seth even being that imposing, and once again he cursed his new, small frame.

"I'm… not Ryou. I'm Bakura. Ryou probably just told you it'd be him here so you'd turn up, I know the reputation I have." Bakura explained, watching carefully as the flicker of annoyance in Seto's icy blue eyes grew into curiosity.

"The thief? That's you?" He demanded, looking expectant. Bakura hated being referred to as though he were a common thief because he was far from it, but he knew that was how everyone associated with Yami saw him.

"Yes. If you want to call this off now…" Bakura allowed the suggestion to trail off, noticing that Seto's eyes were still running over him with as much hunger as they had been when he first arrived, although this time they also held a strange fascination as well.

"Why would an ancient spirit suddenly decide he wants to start dating?" Seto asked with a slight smirk, ignoring the offer to call the date off and moving to lead the way into the restaurant. Bakura wasn't sure what to make of that, so he followed the CEO and thought about his reasons.

"I've been alone a very long time. Everyone has someone, I want to know what it's like to have one person who's on my side. If not against the pharaoh, then just… in general, I suppose. Not that I can't take care of myself." He added as they were shown across the floor of small tables to a relatively secluded one in a corner. The generic waiter took their drinks orders and slinked off to fetch them while they sat down, Bakura wondering for the millionth time what in Ra's name he was doing.

"That's a surprisingly honest answer, assuming you're telling the truth." Seto commented, and Bakura noted that the CEO's eyes kept flickering to the chain around his neck. At least he knew that Seto Kaiba was physically attracted to him, which was better than nothing.

"I'm only a liar when I have a reason to lie." Bakura said slightly bitterly, picking up a menu so he'd have something other than Seto to look at. When it came to physical attraction, Seto Kaiba had everything. Tall, dark and handsome, but it was his eyes and his smooth voice that really had Bakura pinned. It really had been too long, he mused.

"For the record, I'd still have turned up if I'd known it was you I'd be meeting." Seto said, ignoring the waiter completely as he returned with the drinks and set them down before hurrying off again. Bakura looked up from his menu, not expecting Seto to say that.

"Why? What made you agree to this anyway?" The tomb robber asked, suspicious as always. Seto didn't seem to mind, which again surprised Bakura.

"To be perfectly honest you're a lot more interesting than Ryou. Also, I'm aware that Ryou and Marik are quite happy together, which is why I turned up. I was curious as to why Ryou would be doing this if he was already in a relationship." Seto smirked knowingly, picking up his own menu. "I had my suspicions that you might be involved somehow; the outfit confirmed it." He glanced up over the top of his menu to give Bakura another once-over, then went back to reading through the different meals.

Bakura's heart skipped a little at the burning look Seto gave him, not used to being looked at as anything other than the enemy. Not knowing how to reply, he scanned his own menu and quickly picked out a meal, glad that he recognised enough of the names to be able to order for himself. The waiter appeared after a moment and Bakura watched Seto order some pasta dish while he chose a risotto, before handing the menus to the waiter and watching him leave. Picking up his red wine, the thief sipped it and stared across the full restaurant, knowing that Seto was watching him again. He could almost feel the CEO's eyes burning a trail down his throat, hovering again at the first few open buttons of his shirt where the thick chain curved, heavy against his ghostly white skin. It made him want to shiver and he almost snapped at Seto to stop staring at him like that, but he clenched his teeth and tried to ignore it instead. It made him feel weak, and apparently Seto noticed the sudden tenseness and the frown on his face as he watched the waiters flitting about.

"Something wrong?" The CEO asked, sounding slightly amused that Bakura was uncomfortable with being stared at. The thief looked at him briefly then away again, wondering yet again what he was doing.

"No," he lied, changing the subject. "How's your brother?"

Seto seemed to know that he was avoiding the issue, but let it go and sipped his water while he talked about Mokuba, still keeping his dark eyes fixed on Bakura. The thief half listened to Seto and half thought about why he'd done this in the first place. He didn't want to be alone, but Seto was just staring at him like he was a piece of meat. He resigned himself to the fact that the night was probably headed in the direction of a one-night stand and nothing more. That wasn't what he'd wanted, and he wondered if he should allow it – because sex was better than nothing – or leave when the meal was over.

The food finally arrived and they ate in relatively comfortable silence, since Seto was no longer staring at him. It was a good meal, and Bakura made a mental not to tell Marik to take Ryou there sometime. When they'd finished eating Seto ordered ice cream and laughed at the surprised look on Bakura's face when he tasted it. It was one of the few things he hadn't tried for himself before, but he scowled when Seto laughed at him and refused to eat any more.

When the bill arrived Bakura had paid it before the CEO could get his chequebook out, which seemed to surprise Seto. They walked outside to where Seto's limo waited patiently to take him home, Bakura's bike parked around the corner.

It was dark outside and Bakura felt a lot better now that he blended into the shadows, as opposed to being stared at by Seto in the bright, busy restaurant. The whole thing had been a stupid idea, he decided. He wasn't weak, he didn't need anyone else. He got by just fine on his own.

As they reached Seto's limo the CEO turned to Bakura, who was keeping to the thick darkness against the wall of a building.

"Do you need a ride home?" He asked.

Bakura looked up, eyes gleaming in the blackness surrounding him as Seto approached him.

"No. My bike is over there," he gestured towards the alley where he'd parked it, feeling the burning gaze on him again. He'd turned down the one night stand option by refusing the ride home – that wasn't what he'd done this for.

"Goodnight, then. It's been an interesting night, I'll call Ryou's house tomorrow." Seto said, smirking as he closed in.

Bakura was surprised that Seto would want to call and looked up, meeting the CEO's intense blue eyes only inches away.

"Goodnight," he murmured, and stood frozen to the spot as Seto leant down to kiss him. It started soft, making his lips tingle for more contact, and he parted them to draw in a gasping breath. Seto took the opportunity to deepen the kiss and Bakura's eyes slid closed, leaning against the wall with Seto's thumb running over his collarbone where the chain lay, the CEO's other hand on his hip.

When they finally parted Bakura was flushed and almost wishing he'd taken up the offer of a ride home, his breath coming out heavier than usual as he tried to get his heart to beat normally. He looked up, still in shock, and watched Seto give him one last smirked smile before getting into his limo and pulling away into the darkness.

TBC

This one is long, because the next one is short but has fun bits, and the one after that is stupidly long.


	3. Chapter 3

Warnings: Lime stuff in this chapter. I can't believe people like this fic, it might actually have to have a plot. O.o

Note: This one is short, but sweet, because the next one is really freakin' long and has Malik and Otogi in. I love them, and I owe them after Twist of Cain.

Hole Hearted 3

"So, how did it go?" Ryou asked excitedly as Bakura got back home, throwing his crash helmet onto a chair before collapsing wearily on the couch.

"You didn't tell him he was meeting me." Bakura accused, although he felt too drained to really be angry.

"You told him the truth, right? Did he get upset?" Ryou asked, looking concerned. Bakura leant back, closing his eyes and sighing.

"No. He seemed pleased it was me. I'm a fucking monster; I'm the bad guy. He should have left or something. He should hate me." The thief muttered, feeling the couch move as Ryou sat down next to him.

"You're not that bad, and maybe Kaiba had a thing for you anyway? You're not exactly hard on the eyes, if I do say so myself." Ryou smiled, allowing himself a rare moment of vanity. Bakura didn't seem to believe it, but he let it go.

"Sure." He muttered darkly, coming to the conclusion that he was probably just emotionally inept, and not compatible with other people. He knew where he was with being the enemy, but anything beyond that confused him. Hate and anger were probably the only emotions he'd ever really _felt_, after fear and loss. He'd tried to blank those two out anyway.

"So? What happened?" Ryou pressed, and Bakura frowned, refusing to open his eyes. He could feel the dull throb of a headache coming on, caused by his conflicting feelings over Seto Kaiba. He hadn't known that going on one, simple date could do this to him; he felt terrible.

"He…stared at me all night. I hated it." There was no point hiding anything from Ryou, the hikari could whine for hours when he felt the need.

"Why didn't you like it? It sounds like you should be flattered." Ryou asked, confused and wondering why his darker half had to be so complex.

"I don't know. When someone stared at you like that back in the desert it meant they were going to try and jump you. I just don't like being looked at like that for so long." Bakura attempted to explain.

"Oh, I get it. He makes you nervous, right?" Ryou guessed, ignoring the glare he received. "Don't worry, Marik did the same thing to me. I think you just have to get used to him. Once you know you can trust him it'll be fine."

Bakura hated the thought that some rich brat made him nervous, but it rang true. He told himself that it didn't mean he was weak, he just had a healthy survival instinct for someone who'd lived through half the horrors he had.

"This was such a fucking stupid idea. I hate this whole dating thing." The tomb robber scowled tiredly, rubbing at his eyes.

"Well, did he kiss you?" Ryou asked, not failing to notice the tinge of redness across Bakura's pale cheeks before the thief turned away. "What was it like?"

"You know what a kiss is like. I'm going to take a shower and go to sleep. If he calls before I wake up tomorrow tell him to go away." Bakura growled, dragging himself up wearily.

XxXxX

Bakura collapsed against the tile wall, letting the hot spray from the shower drench his hair and soothe his tense muscles. Closing his eyes, he let his mind wander and soon found himself reliving the feeling of Seto pressing him against the wall, the pad of the CEO's thumb tracing over his collarbone. Drawing his hand up, Bakura lightly ran his fingers over where Seto had touched him, knowing that his throat was one of his most sensitive places. He let out a soft moan, tipping his head back to rest against the wall and dragging his other hand down his chest. He could imagine Seto kissing his neck hungrily, nipping at the skin and drawing a hand between his legs, his heartbeat quickening. His fingers brushed his thighs and he shuddered, arching his back as he moved his hand firmly. He wondered what it would feel like with Seto's hand touching him instead, the CEO's intense blue eyes pinning him down again with that same hungry stare. He'd never been the one being touched before, he'd never known it could feel so good. He was so used to being in control, and Seto had never even given him the chance.

Throwing his head back, Bakura shuddered in release and slid to his knees with a deep-throated moan of pleasure, his breath coming in sharp gasps. He knelt for a moment, collecting his scattered thoughts before realising that a single kiss had led him to _that_.

It really _had_ been too long.

TBC

This is what listening to Danzig while I type does. O.o


	4. Chapter 4

Note: The bit on the beginning **isn't lyrics**, it's actually part of the fic. So yes, don't skip it! Also, this chapter is long, I was going to make it two but I'm far too lazy to split it. It has some Malik and Otogi fun in there to lighten the mood, because I realise how pathetic Bakura is in this. Well, not pathetic, exactly. Anyway, there's a reason I wrote him like that, but you'll find out later.

Hole Hearted

XxXxX

Things will get better. It won't always be this hard.

How do you know?

Things always get worse before they get better, but they will get better.

When? I don't want to do this anymore, it was a bad idea.

You worry a lot more than you used to.

Who are you?

XxXxX

"Bakuraaaa!"

Bakura was woken by Ryou's yell, muttering something obscene and turning over to bury his face in the pillow. "Phone!"

The thief groaned and reached out to pick up the line in his room without thinking, holding the cordless phone to his ear and turning slightly away from the pillow so that he could breathe properly. The click of Ryou hanging up in the other room sounded, and Bakura growled his name into the receiver, not appreciating being woken up before the afternoon.

"You sound as though you're in a good mood," came Seto's deep voice across the line, and any type of positive mood Bakura _might_ have been cultivating for later instantly flew out the window. He didn't want to deal with this right now.

"Yeah, I'm great." The thief muttered, dragging a hand down his face tiredly, trying to get his brain to wake up a little. He needed to be able to think his way out of this one, but everything was fuzzy. The headache from the night before was lurking in the back of his mind, a low throb waiting to pounce on him at any moment. "I feel like shit…" He groaned.

"Well, if you're feeling any better tonight I have something you might enjoy a little more than a restaurant." Seto suggested, his deep tones soothing Bakura's impending headache a little.

"I don't know," The tomb robber sighed, wondering how to get out of it. "I thought I wanted to do this whole dating thing, but I don't know what the hell I'm doing."

_I sound so pathetic._ Bakura thought, closing his eyes and running the fingers of his free hand through his wild hair.

"Try tonight. If you hate it I'll leave it at that," Seto said, and Bakura stared at the ceiling, wondering why the CEO actually cared enough to try and make him go out again.

"…Alright, where?" The thief finally gave in, cursing his attraction to Seto and what it was putting him through. He thought about his little shower session from the night before and squeezed his eyes closed, wondering when he'd become such an idiot.

"The movies. I thought you might like something with gratuitous amounts of blood in it, so there's a horror movie starting at nine."

Bakura smirked slightly, resting his arm over his eyes to block out the light.

"Sounds fun. I'll meet you there, then." The thief agreed, stifling a yawn because it was still before noon and he wasn't used to waking up so early.

"I'll be waiting." Seto said, then hung up. Bakura switched the phone off and set it back on its cradle, then rolled over and closed his eyes again. There was no way he was getting up yet.

As he began to drift back to sleep, all he could think of was that wherever there was a cinema, there was always a back row. He wasn't sure how to feel about that just yet.

XxXxX

I hate the way he stares at me… Why? 

Ryou says he makes me nervous.

Does he? 

I don't know. I'm not good at this.

Relax.

I'm trying. It's hard, I don't think I can do this

Then why are you? 

I want what Ryou has. I don't want to be alone anymore.

You've never been alone.

Who are you…? 

XxXxX

Bakura awoke hazily, trying to remember what he'd been dreaming about. It seemed important, but it faded away from his memory like mist and he couldn't seem to catch any of it. Deciding that it didn't matter, he dragged himself out of bed just in time for Marik to walk in without bothering to knock, catcalling when he saw the sleepy thief wearing absolutely nothing. Ryou popped up next to Marik and giggled, but Bakura just glared at them and grabbed a sheet, wrapping it around his waist.

"Haha, you have a girly waist like Ryou!" Marik cackled, earning himself a murderous look from Bakura and a punch in the arm from Ryou, who folded his arms and pouted until Marik kissed his cheek.

"I do not have a girly waist you Dragonball reject, get a haircut." Bakura glowered, stalking past the couple towards the shower.

"Ka-me-ha-me-HA!" Marik laughed, then dived on Ryou and knocked him onto Bakura's bed. The hikari giggled as he was tickled and Bakura rolled his eyes, still not awake enough to be dealing with other people.

"You have your own room, use it!" He yelled, then turned and stomped off to the shower. After dealing with those two together, seeing Seto was going to be a relief.

XxXxX

After a refreshing shower that thankfully managed to wake him up a little, Bakura towelled off his wild hair and slinked back to his room, noting with relief that Ryou and Marik were long gone. There was a note on his bed that read: _Gone to walk Marik, back later. Have fun! XXX_

Muttering, Bakura screwed the note up and tossed it into the waste paper basket, opening his closet and staring at the clothes hanging inside as he wondered what to wear. Pretty much everything he owned was tight and black, but from what he could tell Seto liked that. It took a while, but finally he decided on an outfit that looked good. Tight black jeans, a belt with a silver fanged skull buckle and a very, very tight black Danzig t-shirt that had yet another skull on it and stretched across his chest, outlining the muscles. He was glad he at least _had_ some muscles there, unlike Ryou, who was far too androgynous for his own good.

Stretching and deciding he looked good enough, Bakura fastened his heavy silver chain at the back of his neck and found a few black bracelets with silver studs. A flying V guitar stud through his ear and a little skull-and-crossbones navel bar were the finishing touches, although he wasn't sure if he was going to let Seto see the last one. He'd gotten drunk with Malik and Otogi and woken up with several new piercings, but at least he wasn't the only one. Marik had ended up with an eyebrow bar and even Ryou had a stud in his ear now – a gold and amethyst one that he hardly ever took out. It was probably symbolic or something, but Bakura didn't care enough to think about it.

Looking over at the zombie CD clock on the wall, Bakura figured he had about four hours to kill before he headed off to meet Seto. Not even wanting to think much about it and what he was going to say to the CEO yet, the thief wandered into the kitchen to find something to eat when the phone began to ring. He picked it up, answering it the way he usually did when he wasn't half asleep.

"We don't want any."

Whoever was on the other line giggled, and Bakura knew right away who it was. He could hear Metallicasnarling away in the background and someone – probably Otogi - singing along to it badly.

"'Kuraaa!" Malik's voice shrieked, followed by a thump, and Bakura got the impression he'd just been tackled by his lover. "Bitch! Ow!"

"You love it." Otogi said, then stole the phone. "Hi honey!"

"What do you idiots want?" Bakura asked, smirking slightly. At least they were amusing.

"We heard you're going out with Kaiba." Otogi said in a voice that definitely meant he was grinning.

"Yeah, come over and tell us all about it! We have pizza and beer! And we stole a lifesized cardboard cutout of Lemmy from the guitar store! You have to see it!" Malik cackled, stealing the phone again.

"Malik keeps licking it!" Otogi laughed, followed by the sound of Malik slapping him across the head.

"Lies! You lie!" Malik claimed, although Bakura didn't believe him.

"Fine, I have a few hours to kill anyway. You'd better feed me, though. I'll be over in ten minutes." The thief smirked, hanging up the phone.

XxXxX

"Oh my RA you're hot! Who are you and what did you do with Bakura?" Malik and Otogi greeted as Bakura stepped into their black-painted heavy metal lair of an apartment above a 7-11 in the middle of Domino.

"Har har, shut up." The thief replied, stalking inside. The first thing he noticed was that there was indeed a life sized cutout of Lemmy from Motorhead standing against one poster-encrusted wall, wearing a pink feather boa and a bright green wig.

"Lick him, Malik." Otogi ordered as Bakura sat on the leather couch and started rifling through the pizza boxes on the glass-topped coffee table. Megadeth's _Sweating Bullets_ was playing from the huge sound system, especially for him. Malik had long ago decided that it was his song.

"Never!" Malik folded his arms, shifting closer to the Lemmy figure.

"You know you want to…" Otogi grinned evilly, and Bakura wondered how on earth he'd ever managed to get the pharaoh's friends to believe he wasn't a complete maniac. "Lick Lemmy! Lick him!"

Malik was twitching now, and Bakura couldn't see why he was trying to stop himself. It wasn't like they could think him any more insane than he already was.

"Fine! Damn you!" Malik finally shrieked, then dived on the Lemmy figure and ended up sitting on top of it, licking it all over.

"That is so very wrong." Bakura commented. "You should keep him on a leash or something."

"He'd chew through it, he has really sharp teeth." Otogi replied, picking Malik up and dragging him over to sit on either side of the thief, who'd found leftover pepperoni pizza and was eating it contentedly.

"So, we hear you're fucking Kaiba. How's that working out for you?" Malik asked, suddenly jumping up and bouncing over to the kitchen area, coming back a moment later with an ice-cold beer each. Bakura took his and popped the top off with his teeth casually, having finally found a use for having overly pointed canines.

"I'm not fucking him. I'm _dating_ him." The tomb robber corrected, taking a swig of the beer and reminding himself not to drink too much because he still had to meet Seto.

"You? _Dating?_" Otogi blinked, as Judas Priest's _Devil's Child_ screeched over the speakers. It was a given fact that in Malik and Otogi's apartment there was music playing every minute of every day, even when they weren't there. They had to buy a new sound system every few months, but luckily Otogi was well off enough, and Malik worked at his game store with him because the Egyptian could sell anything to anyone with enough flirting.

"What's wrong with that? I can date too," Bakura growled defensively.

"Didn't think you'd like that sort of thing," Otogi replied, using the bottle opener to open his own beer because only Bakura and Marik could do it with their teeth.

"I don't." Bakura muttered, running a hand through his hair and throwing the rest of the pizza down on the table because he wasn't that hungry. "I'm not cut out for this crap."

"Poor 'Kura." Malik patted him on the back. "So you don't like Kaiba?"

When Bakura sat cradling his beer and didn't answer, Otogi grinned.

"You _do_ like him!" The dice player laughed, looking pleased. "I knew you two'd get on, he's totally had a thing for you for ages!"

Bakura looked up sharply at that, eyes slightly wide.

"What?"

Otogi clamped a hand over his mouth and giggled nervously, but Malik leaned over and punched him in the arm.

"Tell!" The Egyptian demanded, and Otogi knew he couldn't get out of it.

"Ok, but you didn't hear it from me!" The dice player gave in. "You know how we get invited to all those stupid fundraiser things? Well last year I met Kaiba at one and he was looking all pissy about something, so I spiked his drinks until he cheered up a bit and made him talk to me. We ended up talking about whatever Yami was saving the world from at the time, and then he started asking about you," Otogi grinned at Bakura. "I asked him why he wanted to know and he wouldn't tell me, he just said you were interesting."

Bakura took this in silently, unable to believe that Seto had asked about him more than a year ago. He understood now why the CEO had wanted him to try the whole dating thing one more time and not give up so quickly, but the ever cynical part of his mind told him he shouldn't believe it.

"What did you tell him about me?" The thief finally asked, feeling slightly light headed. He placed his finished beer down on the coffee table and sat hunched over, his elbows resting on his knees, thinking.

"I dunno, it was ages ago. I think he just wanted to know what you were like, you know, from someone who doesn't think you're a totally evil bastard. Well, not _all_ the time." Otogi grinned, leaning back and stretching like a cat. Malik watched, virtually drooling, and Otogi raised a pierced eyebrow with a smirk at his boyfriend.

"So what did you tell him I was like?" Bakura asked, dreading the answer.

"The truth!" Otogi claimed, trying to look innocent.

"Oh Ra…" Bakura moaned, raising a hand to his forehead. "No wonder he was staring at me all night. He probably thinks I'm some kind of paranoid jailbait."

"But you are!" Malik giggled, squeaking when Otogi pinched him.

"I have to talk to him." The thief stood up, although he had over two hours until he was supposed to meet Seto. "Do either of you idiots know where he lives?"

"Yep, hang on and I'll get you his address." Otogi grinned like the Cheshire cat, heading over to the telephone, where sticky notes covered the wall with various names, addresses and telephone numbers. "Let's seeee… Aha! Here we go." The dice player copied the sticky note onto a piece of notepaper and handed it to Bakura. "Huge mansion, ridiculous dragon statue in the front yard, you can't miss it."

"Hn. I'll see you two later, I'm going to go see if I can catch him." Bakura decided, heading for the door.

"Good luck, don't do anything we wouldn't do!" Malik called, as the thief left.

_Is there anything you wouldn't do?_ Bakura thought wryly, making his way down the stairs to where his bike was parked.

XxXxX

The rain started when he was about halfway there, and by the time he eventually found the Kaiba mansion he was soaked. The leather jacket he'd been wearing hadn't helped much, and since he hadn't bothered wearing his helmet his hair was hanging heavily down his back, dripping wet.

Shaking a little of the water off and wiping it from his face, Bakura headed up the marble steps to the front door, ringing the bell. The place was huge, but it was pouring too hard to really get a good look at it from the outside.

"What do you want – Bakura? What are you doing here?" Seto asked, holding the door open and changing his tone when he noticed who was standing there, soaked to the skin. He quickly let the shivering thief inside, taking the drenched leather jacket from Bakura's shoulders and hanging it on a coat rack by the door, not really caring that it was dripping everywhere.

"I need to talk to you, I couldn't wait for tonight." Bakura said, looking up at Seto. His hair looked a lot longer weighed down by the rain, and Bakura hoped he didn't look too pathetic standing there dripping on Seto's expensive polished wooden floor.

"Alright," Seto ushered him through into one of the many bathrooms, "dry off and I'll find you a new shirt." The CEO left Bakura standing in the bright bathroom, finding it hard enough to drag his eyes away from the thief. Bakura turned and looked in the mirror, wondering why Seto had been staring at him like that, and noticed that his shirt was stuck to his chest with the water.

"Crap…" He muttered, pulling it off and wringing it out into the sink. He towelled off his hair and dried the water from his arms, glad his jeans were relatively dry. He was just hanging his shirt to dry when Seto walked back in, stopping in his tracks when he saw Bakura's bare chest, pale skin, the silver chain and a few scars scattered in various places. The thief noticed the CEO's eyes lingering on the circle of scars that he'd gotten from the business end of a broken bottle on one side of his waist and clenched his teeth, knowing that Seto probably thought he was a thug now. His eyes darkened and he turned away slightly, reaching for the towel to cover himself up, but Seto stepped forward and handed him a dry black shirt, smirking slightly.

"Very nice," the CEO purred, tracing an elegant finger around Bakura's navel piercing. The thief gasped, not expecting that, and stood very still because he couldn't figure out whether he wanted to lean in or jerk away from the touch.

"Don't…" He shivered, arching a little when Seto's fingers moved to run in a circle over the scar at his waist, making his damn skin tingle.

"What are you so afraid of?" The brunette asked in his deep voice, noticing that Bakura had tensed up and had his jaw clenched. The thief knew what it was about Seto and his touch that made him so nervous – the CEO was more dominant than him. He'd always been the one doing the touching, always been the one in control. He didn't know if he could cope with someone else doing that to him instead, it made him feel weak.

"I just wanted to talk to you…" Bakura managed between his clenched teeth, trying to force his heart to stop beating so fast. He didn't know why Seto could do that to him so easily; nobody else had ever been able to. He hated that he gave in to it, he felt like a cheap whore and he couldn't wait to get out of there, away from Seto. The CEO seemed to see his distress and backed off a little, holding the door open and showing Bakura out into the dark hallway. The thief took the opportunity to calm his burning blood, following Seto into one of the television rooms and watching the tall brunette take a seat on the couch. Perching on the armrest of a large armchair, Bakura drew one leg up to his chest and rested his forehead on his knee, squeezing his eyes closed. He hated this.

"Listen… I don't know what Otogi told you, but whatever he said isn't true." The tomb robber growled, knowing Seto was watching him again but refusing to open his eyes and look. He liked the darkness behind his eyelids a lot better than trying to avoid Seto's intense gaze.

"He told you about that?"

"Yeah, he said you were asking about me. I don't know what kind of impression he gave you, but I'm not… I mean, I know you saw the scars and everything, but…" Bakura trailed off, wondering how he could explain to Seto that he wasn't what Yami told everyone he was. Then again, maybe Yami was right and he _was_ a monster. He'd done a lot of things he wasn't proud of, although he'd always had his reasons.

"Otogi is your friend, isn't he? Do you really think he'd say anything bad about you?" Seto said, trying to be reassuring even if it wasn't something he was used to. Bakura let out a strained laugh and looked up finally, raising a fine white eyebrow.

"Otogi? Yeah, I guess he's a friend. He's a stupid fuck though, and he and Malik aren't living on the same planet as everyone else. I just don't want you to think I'm some…well, whatever the pharaoh says I am." Bakura growled slightly, knowing full well the things Yami said about him.

"I'm not exactly well-known for listening to Yami." Seto pointed out, getting up from the couch and walking across to stand over Bakura, who watched him with dark crimson eyes. "I don't think you're a monster. To be honest Otogi hardly told me anything before he started off on some tangent about all the bands you like and lost me completely." The CEO laughed slightly at Bakura's relieved look, tilting his chin up with gentle fingers. He noticed the thief tense then give in, and thought about this for a moment.

"Do I make you nervous?" The brunette asked suddenly, and Bakura looked up sharply because those were the exact words Ryou had used. Jumping up, the thief backed off with a low growl, narrowing his eyes. Even Seto thought he was weak, there was no way he was letting the brunette touch him if that was what it led to.

"Why should I be afraid of you?" The tomb robber hissed, eyes widening in surprise when Seto suddenly strode forward and buried a hand in his hair, yanking his head back and kissing him forcefully. He struggled a little then relaxed as Seto's tongue forced its way into his mouth, drawing a groan from the smaller male.

"I don't know, why should you be afraid of me?" Seto asked as he released the dazed tomb robber, who shook himself and tried to step back. Seto wouldn't let him go though, and drew the thief against his chest, holding him there. This time Bakura didn't even bother to struggle, he just stood there and wrestled with his pride.

"You make me feel weak…" The thief whispered, not really wanting to say it out loud. Seto looked down at him and stroked a hand through his hair, pleased when Bakura unconsciously turned into the touch before realising what he was doing and turning away again.

"What do you mean?" The CEO asked, although he already had some idea.

"All this." Bakura growled, turning his head away and glaring angrily at the floor.

"You're used to being in control, right?" Seto guessed, knowing he was right from Bakura's reaction. The thief tensed up again and his jaw tightened, fists clenching by his sides.

"I don't want to do this." He hissed, looking up at Seto and getting pinned once again by his stare. "I hate the way you look at me."

"Just relax. Nobody's going to think you're weak. I don't think that." Seto said, and Bakura frowned slightly as something came back to him from earlier.

Relax… 

"I'm trying." The thief murmured, and felt Seto lean down to kiss him again. Concentrating on how good it felt instead of how pathetic it made him feel, Bakura lost himself in the warmth, focussing on Seto's fingers sliding up his side. When the CEO drew back after a minute or so Bakura was panting for breath, his red eyes glazed slightly with lust. Smirking, Seto stepped back a little and let Bakura collect himself, glancing at the clock on the wall.

"We can still catch that movie if you like," the brunette suggested, pleased when Bakura paused a moment then nodded.

"Alright." Bakura agreed. _Just go easy on me._

TBC

Bakura is complex and full of issues. There are more of them to come, too. This thing's growing a plot! Anyway, yes, I _am_ obsessed with the idea of 'Kura with piercings, and the cardboard Lemmy thing… We won't talk about where that one came from. O.o Oh, and for whoever asked, Danzig are a muchly great band. I was listening to She Rides at stupid o clock in the morning. Yeah.


End file.
